Lint cotton opener and cleaner



April 1961 E. H. BROOKS LINT COTTON OPENER AND CLEANER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed July 18, 1956 INVENTOR UGEA/E Bkaoks April 4, 961

E. H. BROOKS LINT COTTON OPENER AND CLEANER Filed July 18, 1956 4Sheets-Sheet 2 2 ii 1%. 6 m4 INVENTOR Eva-5N5 A. Bzoo ks FwzgmzwATTORNEY April 4, 1961 E. H. BROOKS LINT COTTON OPENER AND CLEANER 4Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 18, 1956 INVENTOR v Ease/vs bi Bkcoks April 4,1961 BROOKS 2,977,641

LINT COTTON OPENER AND CLEANER Filed July 18, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4INVENTOR foes/v5 M Beooxs ATTORNEY United States Patent LINT COTTONOPENER AND CLEANER Eugene H. Brooks, Birmingham, Ala., assignor toContinental Gin Company, Birmingham, Ala., a corporation of DelawareFiled July 18, 1956, Ser- No. 598,712

9 Claims. (Cl. 19-93) This application is a continuation in part ofapplication Serial No. 435,552, filed June 9, 1954, titled Lint CottonOpener and Cleaner, now US. Patent 2,804,655.

This invention relates to apparatus for handling lint cotton and otherfibrous material. More particularly the instant invention relates to alint opener and cleaner for use in cloth and thread mills where there isan increasing need for improved equipment for opening, cleaning andmixing fibrous materials.

This need is readily apparent to even the casual observer particularlywhere, for example, as in the case of cotton mills the fiber iscustomarily delivered in the form of bales. These bales are extremelydense and the fibers are matted and intertwined. Thus to prepare orcondition the fiber formanufacture into thread and cloth it is necessarythat the bales be opened and the fibers placed in a form suitable forthe carding and subsequent equipment.

Further, despite the fact that modern methods of fiber handling may havebeen used before baling, and during transit, there is still the need forfurther cleaning of the fibers delivered to the mills. With cotton, forexample, although there are modern gins in use which will perform areasonable cleaning operation, there may still remain trash and moteswhich are obviously not desirable in the finished threads and cloths.This is particularly apt to be true where machine picked cotton has beenginned. Also, of course, with the older gins which are still inoperation the cleaning is usually not satisfactory for the millpurposes. In addition to trash and motes which may remain after theginning operation, often trash is picked up in handling or storage andthisalso must be removed.

Therefore not only do the cotton mills or similar fiber handling millsfind it necessary to employ lint opening machinery for opening the balesor other packages of the lint received, but in addition it is essentialto employ machinery for cleaning the fiber. For example, today millsfind it necessary to use a whole battery of cleaning apparatus and passthe fiber through a series of machines before it is ready to be sent tothe thread forming machines such as carding and spinning machines.

As a result the fiber isfinally ready to be formed into laps from whichthread may be made. However, the extensive working has resulted in alower quality product from the standpoint of fiber length and strength.Thus it is obviously desirable to reduce the amount of working necessaryto condition the fiber. Furthermore the need to reduce the amount ofworking has been increased in recent years as a result of the increasedcost of material and the increasedtdemand for quality products.Accordingly one ofthe objects of this invention is to provide an openerand cleaner which will thoroughly open and clean fiber such as cottonand which will reduce the amount of working necessary to obtain'fiberfit forthread forming. Thus some of the=quality heretofore lost can nowbe retained.

Eat-elated. Apr. 4, 196.1

Excessive working which resulted in lower grade output is not the onlyproblem which confronts the mills however; there has also long been aneed for equipment which would remove motes and small trash moreeffectively and thus also improve the final product. Despite theimpressing array of equipment often assembled for the purpose the endproduct has too frequently shown imperfections requiring downgrading.Downgrading of course results in lowered financial return and evencomplete loss. 7

Although the mills have been plagued by these problems for many years,and although as pointed out above more modern equipment is often used inpreparing and shipping prior to the time the cotton reaches the mills,so far as is known to me, no machinery has been devised which willsatisfactorily remove motes, particularly the smaller motes, and smalltrash. With this in view it is accordingly another object of myinvention to provide a lint opener and cleaner which will remove motesand small or pin trash from cotton or other fibers.

The opening problem alone perplexed the cotton in dustry for many years.vised an opener such as disclosed in Asbil, Jr. et al. Patent No.2,365,793, dated December 26, 1944. This machine was developed at theUS. Government Laboratories in Mississippi, and answered a need for moresatisfactory opening equipment, which in itself does assist in cleaningby subsequent machinery. However such a machine falls short of thesolution to the perplexing problem of removal of trash and motes,particularly of small size foreign particles of every description, suchas termed pin trash for example, without an excessive working of thefiber. The objects of this invention however include that of providingapparatus which will completely open and thoroughly clean the fiberwithout working the fiber anymore than heretofore required to open thefiber even by a machine such as that disclosed in the above mentionedpatent.

As indicated above modern gins employ mote and trash cleaning equipmentbut still the final product is impure in so far as these elements areconcerned. Further the increased amounts of machine picked cotton" foundin todays crop has increased the amount of small trash found in thebales, thereby somewhat increasing the problem. Another object of myinvention is accordingly, to provide an opener and cleaner which caneffectively open and clean this machine picked cotton as Well as thehand picked product.

In arriving at concrete embodiment of the instant invention the conceptsof the invention have dictated a cleaning which surpasses thatheretofore thought possible and as a result embodiments have beendeveloped and are contemplated which provide two stage cleaning of fibertogether with an opening operation which involve no more working of thefiber than in heretofore known openers, such as discussed above. Thus,an object of the invention, which has been realized, is to provide suchobviously desirable equipment to fulfill the long felt needs indecreased size and more efiicient operation. Accord-- ing to theinvention constructions are provided which accomplish the severalresults contemplated without additional bulk as compared to machinerywhich would not accomplish such objectives. More specifically, cleaning1 and opening functions are accomplished by single mov- Finally,however, there was de' tion.

In view of the above it will become apparent that: Yet another object ofthe invention is to provide a lint opener and cleaner comprising sawsand dofiing means for said saws which also function as trash and moteseparator means, and that a still further object of the invention is toprovide combined doffing and separating means in a lint treatingmachine.

Another consideration borne in mind in developing the instant inventionis that cotton mills as well as other mills not only employ cleaning andopening machinery but also blending machinery for blending material fromdifferent sources. Accordingly yet another object of this invention isto provide an apparatus constructed in accordance with the inventionwhich can open and clean lint and which also can be used as a blenderfeeder with excellent results.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an opener embodyinga two-step cleaning operation in addition to the opening operation.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a lint cotton openerand cleaning apparatus with means for removing motes, trash and otherforeign matter from the machine. .Along the same direction, stillanother object is to provide a trash pit and means for removing thetrash from said pit, said pit forming in part a chamber for moting andseparating means forming part of the apparatus. I The prior art machinessuch as the more highly developed type as illustrated in said Asbilpatent do not contemplate the opening and thorough cleaning obtainedwith machinery embodying the instant concepts. Perhaps this is due tothe inability to solve the complex engineering problems which may haveresulted from such attempts as may have been made. According to theinstant invention, and in fulfilling one of the concepts thereof, atreating machine is provided which will accomplish the above objects,yet further which is practicable, which is compact, which can bemanufactured and sold at a cost which can be reasonably amortized, whichwill not require constant repairs and attendant expense, and which isotherwise suitable from an engmeering standpoint.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing description and the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an opener and cleaner constructedin accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the opener and cleaner of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevational view taken along line 33 of Figure 2and with a larger scale being used. Figure 4 is a fragmentaryperspective view of a portion of the opener and cleaner of Fig. 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 55 of Figure3.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the openerand cleaner of Fig. 1.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view of a portion of theopener and cleaner of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale.

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the apparatusillustrated in Fig. 3.

Figure 9 is another fragmentary perspective view of another form of lintdotting means which can be employed in place of the dofiing meansillustrated in Fig. l.

The same reference characters in the several views indicate the sameparts.

Referring now particularly to the drawings, reference character 10indicates a housing formed principally of sheet metal. The latter issuitably braced and supported in any convenient manner, such as by angleirons, etc. The housing can have a number of removable or pivotallyconnected panels providing for inspection of the interior and adjustmentof the operative elements as is well known in the art of cottonmachinery. For example removable panel 12 can be supported on ledges 14formed of angle brackets extending laterally of the machine and securedto side frame supporting members. The front of the machine is alsoprovided with a panel or inspection cover 16. Cover 16 is pivotallyconnected to shaft 18 which is fixedly supported on the frame of themachine. It is obvious that the number of these inspection panels orcovers can be varied.

Frame elements such as 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28 support laterally extendingshafts 30, 32, 34, 35, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54 and 56.Shafts 34 and 35 are main drive shafts and the other shafts are driventherefrom by belts and pulleys such as belts 58 and 60 and pulleys 62and 64. These are illustrted in Figure 1 which is a right hand side viewof the machine, with cover 16 being considered as being at the front ofthe machine. The shafts that are not connected to shaft 34 on this sideof the machine are connected on the other side of the machine by similarbelt and pulley arrangements (see Fig. 2). Obviously any suitable drivemay be used for transmitting power to the shafts and the drives shownare similar to those employed on other fiber working machines. Also theshape of the framing, etc. can be modified as desired.

Housing 10 is compartmented to form a number of chambers. The latter aredefined by sheet metal elements which may be stiffened and supported byangle members extending laterally of the machine and connected to thesides of the housing and to the frame members 20, etc. Theinterconnection of these elements is such as to provide the requiredstrength and rigidity. The referred to chambers are as follows: In theupper right of the machine, as viewed in Figure 3, there is provided adofiing and separation chamber 66. Downwardly and to the left of chamber66 there is provided a trash pit chamber 68. Next there is provided asecond doifing and separation chamber 70. Beneath dofiing chamber 70there is provided a second trash pit or mote chamber 72, and immediatelybeneath the latter there is provided a third dofiing and separationchamber 74.

Further the sheet metal members or housing sections forming the abovechambers cooperates in forming a main lint chamber 76. The latterchamber is defined in part by cover 16 and an endless belt conveyor 78.Conveyor 78 is supported on rollers 80, 82 and 84 mounted on shafts 36,32 and 30, respectively, and it is to be noted that cover 16 supports acurved inner member 86 which serves to define the chamber 76 incooperation with the other elements mentioned. Cotton or other lint isfed into chamber 76 through the front end of the machine which is openat 88 to facilitate the feeding operation. Belt 78 obviously has thefunction of conveying cotton or other fiber through opening 88 intochamber 76 where the opening occurs.

The opening intrumentalities for opening the lint within the chamber 76comprises saw cylinders 92, 94, 96 and 98 which are mounted on shaftssuch as 38, 42, 46 and 48, respectively. These cylinders rotate counterclockwise as indicated by the arrows in Figure 3, and the rotation ofthe saw cylinders in such direction results in the cotton being pickedup from the belt 78 by saw cylinder 92 and moved upwardly clockwisewithin the chamber 76. When sufficient cotton is introduced a roll ofcotton 99 is formed within the chamber. This roll of cotton (or otherfiber), which contains lumps, clumps, knots, etc., continuously rotateswithin the chamber due to its contact with the saw cylinders and belt 78. The cylindersopen these lumps and continuously remove fibers from theroll. This loss is made up by feeding more fiber into chamber 76.

The saw cylinders 92, 94 and 96 each comprise a series of cylindricalsaws 97 mounted on the aforementioned shafts and spaced from each otherby spacers such as 100 (see Fig. 4). Saw cylinder 98, however, is not ofthe same construction as cylinders 92, 94 and 96. Instead cylinder 98comprises a cylindrical member 102 and discs such as 104 which supportthe cylindrical member on the shaft 48. The discs and the cylindricalmember may be formed of steel and other suitable material. A furtherinspection of cylinder 98 will reveal that member 102 has a spiralgroove 103 formed on its periphery. The pitch of the groove ispreferably about six or seven grooves per inch. The groove is providedfor the purpose of mounting a wire 106 which is wrapped around thecylindrical member and seated within the groove. This wire has toothlikeprojections 108 formed on the outer surface. The length of these teethis preferably in the range of about .0225 to .042". The teeth projectradially outward of the cylinder 98 and are of pyramidal shape resultingin spaced projections which appear to be triangular when viewed from theside as illustrated in Figure 3. This structure is obviously quitedifferent from that of the saw teeth of cylinders 92, 94 and 96. Thelatter teeth are similar to the saw teeth used in cotton gins and aretherefore particularly adapted to remove cotton from roll 99. Sawcylinder 98 however, due to the shape of its teeth, does not pick upmuch cotton from the rotating roll of cotton 99 as compared with the sawcylinders 92, 94 or 96. In fact cylinder 98 functions primarily as aknocker cylinder and its prime purpose is to cooperate with the sawcylinder 96 to remove excess cotton and particularly lumps, clumps,etc., from the latter by knocking off such lumps and loosely heldcotton.

The saw cylinders are doffed by doffing brush cylinders 110, 112 and 114which are positioned in the brush chambers 66, 70 and 74, respectively.Of these elements the brush cylinder 110 doifs saw cylinders 96 and 98while brush cylinder 112 doffs cylinder 94, and brush cylinder 114 doffssaw cylinder 92. Prior to the doffing operation, however, the sawcylinders 92 and 94 cooperate with cleaning means to perform a cleaningfunction. This cleaning means comprises the mote boards 116 and 118which cooperate with the saw cylinders 94 and 92, respectively. Theseboards which are relatively fixed with respect to the latter receive themotes and trashthrown off by the saw cylinders and direct such materialinto trash pits or chambers 68 and 72.

The motes and trash are removed from mote chamber 72 by a wiper 120mounted on shaft 54 and a screw conveyor 121 connected to shaft 56. Thematerial removed by conveyor 121 drops through a duct 122 into a trashpan 123. The wiper and screw conveyor are well known in the fiberhandling art.

Moting chamber 68, however, embodies quite different trash and moteremoval means. The latter chamber comprises housing means which form amoting board, mote and trash trough or pit and a portion of the brushchamber 78 as a substantially single unit. As illustrated in Figures 3and 4 the mote board 116 can be connected directly to or formedintegrally with the upper sheet 124 forming the upper part of brushchamber 70, and the sheet 124 and mote board 116 areseen to be connectedby a trough-like section 126 positioned approximately intermediate thesaw cylinder 94 and the brush cylinder 112. The mote board 116, sheet124 and trough 126 extend substantially the length of the saw and brushcylinders 94 and 112, respectively, and connect with the heads orsidewalls between which the saw and brush cylinders are mounted. A chainconveyor 128 is supported on sprockets 130 and 132 within the trough126. The sprockets, in turn, are supported on shafts 134 and 136, withthe shafts being suitably journaled and one shaft being driven so as tomove the conveyor in the direction in- 6 dicated by the arrows inFigure'4. The conveyor is provided with spaced projecting fingers 138which are adapted to extend downwardly into the trough 126. Theprojecting fingers 138 sweep the trough 126 and move the trash and motesoutwardly of the cleaner where they drop through duct 140 into the trashpan 123. Cover 141 extends over the conveyor.

The motes and trash are thus removed from chambers 68 and 72 bymechanical means. It will be understood of course that in chamber 72 thewiper 120, which includes the wiper blade 142 mounted on spaced discs144, rotates in the direction of the arrow 146, appearing on disc 144 inFigure 3, to move the motes and trash received in chamber 72 into thescrew conveyor chamber 148. The motes received in chamber 74 however arethrown'against deflectors 200 and 202and' guided by the latter intotrash pan 123 which is positioned below chamber 74.

Considering the elements thus far described: The saw cylinders 92, 94and 96 have the purpose of opening and fluffing the cotton or otherfiber whereas the brush cylinders, of course, are designed to doif fiberfrom the saw cylinders. Thus, some of the fiber engaged by the cylinder92 is carried around and dotted by brush cylinder 114. However, the sawcylinders, as hereinafter more fully explained, are positioned withrespect to each other so that each saw cylinder is also in a sensedefied by the saw cylinder. above it (with the exception of cylinder98). This action is more fully explained below and is not a dofiing suchas is accomplished by the brush cylinders. 1

Further as cylinder 92 moves the fiber past board 118 motes and trashare discharged from the cylinder 92 over the mote board 118. These motesand trash are then removed by conveyor 121 as described above. Sawcylinder 94 in turn also picks up fiber from roll 99 as well as fromcylinder 92 and a portion of this fiber is likewise carried around anddotted by brush cylinder 112. Similarly, motes and trash are dischargedfrom cylinder 94 over mote board 116 and lumps of fiber are knocked fromsaw cylinder 94 by saw cylinder 96. This dofiing of saw cylinder 92 bysaw cylinder 94 and the dofiing of saw cylinder 94 by saw, cylinder 96is not the usual form of doffing such as by the brush cylinders but ismore of a knocking off action wherein the large clumps and knots orlumps of lint and excess lint are prevented from passing inwardly intocontact with the brush cylinders or over the mote boards. This insuresthat only the opened fibers are doffed by the brushes. As a result amore thorough opening action is obtained since only the opened fiberswill reach the dofiing brushes and be removed from the ma chine. Furtherthis knocking action helps prevent clogging.

Lastly saw cylinder 96 is in turn defied by cylinder 98. The latter asstated above serves primarily to knock off the excess lint and the lumpsof lint from cylinder 96 and is thus a knocker cylinder. Cylinder 98 initself will not pick up much lint due to the construction of its teeth;what little lint is picked up will be doffed by cylinder 110. Any largelumps which might tend to cling to cylinder 98 will be knocked off bythe associated stripper bar 152. Thus cylinder 98 will not clog up eventhough it is the last cylinder when considering the direction ofrotation of roll 99 and not associated with a cylinder for knocking offexcess lint, knots, etc. Stripper bar 152 is adjustable by means ofscrews 153, and

the bar is slidably supported in slots in the housing.

It is tobe noted that all the saw cylinders are positioned, as statedabove, with respect to each other so that each succeeding cylinderremoves excess lint from the cylinder immediately below it, and this isaccomplished by properly constructing and spacing the saw cylinders withrespect to each other. As an example saw cylinders equipped with 12"diameter saws will function properly for cylinders ,92, 94 and 96 whenspaced 12 /s" on centers leaving A" clearance in between the saws attheir closest approach to each other and when used with a knockercylinder 98 having 12" diameter saws spaced Ma" from the saws ofcylinder 96. Of course, means can be provided for adjusting the spacingand relative positions such as slotted journal block bases, shims, etc.as is known in the art.

The fibers must of course be removed after they have been opened.Therefore, the brush doffing means are provided with suitable fiues 154,156 and 158 which lead from the brush chambers to condensers or otherequipment in the known manner. Also the brush chambers are provided withair intakes 160, 162, and cutoff boards 164 so that they may functionproperly. The air intakes can be fitted with adjustable fiaps 165 andthe cutoff boards can comprise adjustable slotted members for adjustingair intake into the chambers and flues such as 66 and 154. Suchadjustable members are commonly employed in the cotton ginning art.

The saw cylinders, wire wound cylinder 98 and the brush cylinders areall mounted on parallel axes as are the remaining rotating elements ofthe machine with the exception of sprockets 130 and 132. Furthermorecylinders 92, 94, 96 and 98, roughly speaking, have their axes orrotation positioned in an approximate are somewhat concentric with or atthe side of the roll 99. Arc 166 illustrates this approximatepositioning of the axes of rotation. All the saw cylinders rotate in thesame direction and thus rotate the mass or roll of cotton 99.

As an additional feature of my invention the brush chambers and thebrush cylinders which function as a dotfing means for the saw cylindersconstitute means for separating motes and trash from the lint, and moreparticularly they are constructed so that even the finest of motes andtrash particles will be separated without harsh beating action common tomost fiber cleaners used in conjunction with openers. The brushcylinders and chambers in which they are mounted constitute centrifugalseparators which gently separate these unwanted elements from thedesired lint.

As will be well understood each of the brush cylinders 110, 112, and 114constitute impellers and have the function of impelling the cottonthrough the fiues 154, 156 and 158 in addition to the dofiing function.The brush vanes on the cylinders force air, part of which. is introducedthrough openings 160, 162 and 168, through the flues, and the cotton,buoyed along by this fluid medium, air, is thus moved to the dischargepoint or next apparatus. As stated heretofore such a function andoperation of these brush cylinders is well known as is the introductionof air into the chambers for the purposes stated. However, the brushcylinders and chambers within which the cylinders are mounted, in theinstant invention, are constructed in a manner and with a purpose notheretofore contemplated (insofar as is known to me).

This structure and the function of such structure will now be described:Since the brush cylinders and their cooperating chambers are allsimilarly constructed, the description is confined to one suchcombination; it being understood that the description of elements andfunc tions applies to the three brush cylinder-chamber combinations aswill be apparent from an inspection of the drawings. Therefore, referrngto brush chamber or dofiing and separation chamber 66 which isfragmcntarily illustrated on an enlarged scale in Figure 7 chamber 66 isseen to'have an opening 168 which extends longitudinally across thechamber parallel to the axis of rotation of brush cylinder or impeller110 and is substantially coextensive in length with the brush cylinder.The width or vertical height of the opening (considering the vertical asapplied to Figure 7) is chosen to give satisfactory results ashereinafter indicated. The lower edge of the opening, again as viewed inFigure 7, is formed by the bentover flange 170 on the chamber portion172.

Whereas, the upper edge of the opening is defined by a cleaning ormating bar 174. The latter can comprise the T like member shown and beattached to chamber sheeting by rivets or any other convenient means orcan be adjustably mounted as shown by means of shaft 173 and bar 175with shaft 173 being pivotally mounted'and bar 175 being mounted inslots in the housing in a manner known in the art. Actually, bar 174 cancomprise any suitable section or shape formed to present a sharp edge176 which preferably projects slightly inwardly of a line tangent to thearc of chamber portion 172 so as to be interposed in the stream ofmoving trash, motes and lint which normally flows between the side wallsof the chamber and the impeller during operation of the latter. From theabove, it follows that the sheeting portion 172 may be considered tohave a leading edge 173 adjacent saw cylinder 96 and a trailing edgeformed by bending-over flange 170. Further, opening 168 is defined bythe trailing edge 180 and the leading edge 176 of the next adjacentportion of the casing. As stated above the leading edge 176 is radiallypositioned with respect to the axle 50 so that it lies adjacent,preferably inwardly, of the plane which is tangent to the radial lineintersecting the trailing edge 130-. Edge 178 of sheeting portion 172 ispivotally mounted by means known in the art such as mounting rod 171which is in the housing. Trailing edge 1813 is provided with slottedflanges 1S1 bolted to the housing in the known manner and is thusadjustable toward cylinder 11th Brush cylinder 110 is mounted with itscenter of rotation, the axis of shaft 56, positioned in such a mannerthat the cylinder is eccentric of the cylindrical brush chamber sheetingportion 172. The eccentricity is such that the periphery of the brushcylinder, that is the periphery of the brush vanes, is closer to thetrailing edge 180 than to the leading edge 17$.

Stated in another way, and referring particularly to Figure 7, theimpeller 110 is of generally cylindrical shape as is the chamber 66.However, the chamber portion 172 and the impeller are so positioned withrespect to each other that the leading edge 178 is farther from theperiphery of the cylinder 110 than the trailing edge 186.

Furthermore, considered from another viewpoint, the portion 172 isformed in a curve complementary to the periphery of the impeller 110 andthroughout this curve, or stated differently, throughout its lengthcircumferentially of the impeller from the leading edge 178 to thetrailing edge 180, it, progressively, more closely approaches theperiphery of impeller 110.

No matter what the preferred language, it is evident from the drawingsthat the impeller cylinder and the chamber form a passageway 182 for thepassage of the stream of cotton, motes, trash and air, and furthermore.that the passageway, thus, throughout the section formed in part by thesheet portion 172, converges or decreases in cross sectional area. Thuswith a given speed of rotation for the impeller a stream of cotton, air,trash and motes going through the passageway 182 must accelerate andincrease in velocity with accompanying drop in pressure. The staticpressure drop results from an increase in velocity head under a steadyflow condition; that is, a condition in which the same amount ofmaterials and fluid leave passageway 182 as enter it. With properdesigning and relative positioning of the parts and proper operatingspeeds, of which specific details of a preferred form are hereinaftergiven, the stream can be impelled so that its static pressure issomewhat below atmospheric as the stream passes between trailing edge18% and sharp edge 176.

The above features result in a machine which will produce a separationof lint from unwanted elements not heretofore obtained or contemplated.This separation is illustrated in Figure 7, in which the movement of astream comprising a mixture of air, cotton or other fiber, motes andtrash is illustrated with the elements suspended in the stream beingshown on a larger scale for clarity. It is noted that the material as itfirst enters the separator and dofling chamber is mixed but as theelements proceed around the wall ofthe chamber in the path or passagewaybetween the wall and the brush cylinder the motes and trash move to theouter stratum of thestream whereas the lighter lint is displaced to theinner stratum of the path. This is of course due to centrifugal force.Separation or stratificationis further induced or impelled due to thefact that the brush sticks 184 constitute vanes and can be considered tobe fixed spaced radially extending elements positioned on the peripheryof the impeller cylinder. As a result it is seen that a wave-like motionis imparted to the stream of cotton, trash and motes, as indicated bythe wavy line 186. This undulation of the stream in which the cotton,motes, trash and air is mixed results in a more complete separation ofthe motes and trash from the fiber. The fiber is oscillated in thestream and motes and trash are shaken or impelled from the fiber due todifference in masses and centrifugal forces. The stream is thus beingstratified While approaching trailing edge 180.

As the stream closely approaches the trailing edge 180 the trash andmotes are proceeding along immediately adjacent the inner wall of thechamber portion 172 and constitute the outer lamina of the stream. Dueto inertia the motes and trash particles naturally tend to flytangentially out of the streams curving path. Thus, when the particlesreach the opening 168 the motes and trash are free to follow theirnatural tendency and tend to move along line 188. The sharp edge 176 ofmote bar 174 is positioned so as to intercept the tangentially movingmotes and trash and deflect them outwardly from the separation chamberas indicated by arrow 193. Due to the fact that the pressure at theopening 168 is below atmospheric air will move inwardly into thechamber, as indicated by arrow 190 as the trash is flying outwardly. Thecotton or similar fiber being light and fluffy will be urged inwardlytowards the impeller cylinder by this inward movement of the air andwill not fly outwardly of the chamber. Thus any fiber that may strikethe mote bar is urged to continue within the stream (in the chamber 66).The motes and trash have a considerably greater density than the lintand are not affected by the incoming air. The stream of lint movesaround toward the lint flue 154 and additional air if needed forfloating the lint through the flue can be obtained through opening 162.Flap 165 can be adjusted as necessary for this purpose. Rod 167pivotally mounts flap 165.

A deflector or dividing wall 192 is positioned as indicated to deflectmotes and trash as indicated by arrow 193 so they will not mix with airmoving inwardly in the direction of arrow 190. The suction is greatestat the edge 180. Air inlets 198 are provided in the cleaner housingbeneath wall 192.

Deflectors 200 and 202 which are provided to the left of belt 78 guidemotes and trash into bin 123 and prevent cotton on belt 78 from beingdrawn by suction through opening 168 into chamber 74.

From the above it is seen that the individual brush vanes speed past theslower moving stream of cotton laden air importing a wave-like orundulating shaking motion or oscillation to the stream which results ina more complete separation between the motes and trash and the cotton.Although the operation has been described with cotton lint being thesubstance being worked, where other types of fiber may be worked theprinciples of operation are the same.

As stated heretofore, the brush sticks are in the nature of vanesextending outwardly from the periphery of the cylinder, and thus spacedair pockets are formed on the periphery of the cylinder. The stream ofcotton, motes, trash and air is urged around the cylindrical walls ofthe doffing and separation chamber 66 by rotation of the vaned cylinder.Naturally there is slippage between the stream of and the brushcylinder, and the wave-like action of the air in the stream and thefibers-floated therein'results from alternate compression andrarefaction as a brush stick or vane and a space between adjacent brushsticks or vanes moves past a given portion of the stream.-

The above action is obtained from constructions embodying the instantinvention, and. such constructions may be in many forms. As an exampleof a specific apparatus embodying the above features; a construction inwhichthe radial distance between the periphery of the brush and thesharp edge 176 of mote bar 174 is 1%", the radial distance between thetrailing edge and the brush sticks is 1", the radial distance betweenthe leading edge of section 172 and the brush sticks is 1%", and theoverall diameter of the impeller is 15'', has been found to producesatisfactory results where the impeller is rotated at an adequate speedfor such dimensions.- The width (the height as viewed in Figure 3) ofthe opening 168 in such an installation is 3%", and the impeller ispreferably rotated to produce a peripheral speed of 6500 feet per minuteat the vane (brush) tips. Preferably in such environment the saws are of12" diameter and are operated at 450 rpm. This gives a peripheral sawspeed of approximately l414'feet per minute, or a ratio of peripheralspeeds between the saws and brushes of l to 4 /2. Other speed ratiossuch as 1 to 2 have been used but it is preferred to keep the ratio inthe range of 1 to 3 /2 to 1 to 4%.

Figure 9 illustrates another form of doffing impeller means usable inplace of the brush such as 110. Impeller 204 comprises rubber, plasticor metal vanes 206 mounted between flanges 208 on drum 210 and securedto these flanges by any suitable means such as bolts and nuts. Theflanges can be welded to the drum.

While I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention itwill be understood that many changes in details and form are within thescope of the invention. Accordingly I claim an exclusive right to allembodiments within the scopeof the appended claims. (In the claims theword trash is used generically and includes all forms of unwantedparticles or elements such as motes, etc., and the wording fluid mediumincludes air.)

I claim:

1. In combination a lint cotton opener and cleaner comprising a housing,saw cylinders rotatably mounted in said housing, said saw cylindershaving their periph-' cries closely adjacent each other, and beingrotatable all in the same direction of rotation, feed means positionedin said housing and adapted to feed cotton lint toward said sawcylinders and into contact with the latter, said cylinders beingoperable to work said lint within said housing, said saw cylinders beingoperable to open and fluff said lint, first means for disassociatingtrash from said lint comprising boards positioned adjacent the peripheryof at least some of said cylinders, and adapted to receive trash thrownoff by said cylinders, trash pits associated with said boards for receiving trash therefrom, doffing means for removing lint from at least oneof said saw cylinders comprising a cylindrical impeller, a chamber insaid housing, said cylindrical impeller being rotatably mounted in saidchamber, said cylindrical impeller having a series of spaced vane-likemembers extending radially outwardly therefrom and operable to dofi lintfrom said one of said saw cylinders, said chamber having an inlet opening through which the doffed lint is moved into the chamber by saidimpeller, means forming a flue connected with said chamber, saiddofl'ing means being o'perable to impel lint removed from said one ofsaid saw cylinders through said chamber and into said flue, and secondmeans for disassociating said lint from trash contained thereincomprising a trash opening in the periphery of the chamber extendinglongitudinally of the chamber and opening outwardly therefrom into oneof said trash pits, said chamber having an inner periphery forming alint passage with said impeller in said Chamber saidtrash openingextending through said innerll periphery, said passage lying between theperiphery of said impeller and said inner periphery of said chamber andextending to said opening and beyond the latter to said flue, saidimpeller being operable to move said lint and the trash associatedtherewith to said trash opening and to move said lint past said openinginto said flue, said passage progressively decreasing in cross sectionalarea in the direction of movement of the lint and trash impelled by saidimpeller within said passage from the inlet opening of said chamber tosaid trash opening.

2. In combination in a lint opener and cleaner a housing, a plurality ofsaw cylinders mounted on parallel axes, means for feeding lint to saidsaw cylinders to be opened, means for separating trash and other foreignmaterial from said lint comprising mote boards associated with the sawcylinders and positioned adjacent the peripheries of said cylinders, andadapted to direct trash and other foreign material into trash pits, andsecond means for cleaning said lint to separate the foreign materialtherefrom comprising a rotatable cylindrical memer associated with atleast one of said saw cylinders and rotatably mounted in said housing, achamber, said rotatable cylindrical member being mounted within saidchamber and forming with the inner periphery of said chamber acurvilinear passage for the passage of mixtures of lint and trash withinsaid chamber, said passage having an inlet and an outlet an openingformed in said chamber in communication with said passage intermediatesaid inlet and said outlet, said opening leading to one of said trashpits, said rotatable cylindrical member being operable to deft lint andtrash entrained in said lint from said one of said saw cylinders and tomove the mixture of lint and trash in a curvilinear path through saidpassage from said inlet to said opening and to move the lint past saidopening to said outlet, said passage progressively dec easing in crosssectional area in the direction of movement of said mixture of lint andtrash through said passage toward said opening said opening beingcontiguous the decreasing portion of said passage.

3. In a lint cotton opener and cleaner comprising a series of sawcylinders rotatable to open and fiutf but, means for removing said lintfrom said saw cylinders and for separating trash from said lintcomprising means forming a chamber adjacent one of said saw cylinders,said chamber having an inlet, said chamber having an inner surface, amember rotatably mounted in said chamber and forming a lint passage withsaid inner surface of said chamber, lint outlet means for said chamber,said member being operable to doff lint from said saw cylinder and movesaid lint through said inlet along said passage and through said lintoutlet means, a trash outlet formed in the surface of said chamber andleading from said passage outwardly of said chamber intermediate saidinlet and outlet means, said passage being of curvilinear configurationbetween said inlet means and said trash outlet, said trash outlet beingdefined by a trailing edge and a leading edge portion positionedrespectively along said passage in the direction of movement of the lintand trash therein, said leading edge portion being positioned radiallyinwardly of a plane tangent to a radial line extending from the centerof rotation of said rotatable member to said trailing edge, so thattrash moving through said passage will flow along said trailing edgeportion and through said trash outlet upon the rotatable movement ofsaid member.

4. In a lint cotton opener and cleaner comprising a series of sawcylinders rotatable to open and fiutf lint, means for removing said lintfrom said saw cylinders and for separating trash from said lintcomprising means forming a chamber adjacent one of said saw cylinders,said chamber having an inlet, said chamber having an inner surface, amember rotatably mounted in said chamber and forming a lint passage withsaid inner surface of said chamber, lint outlet means for said chamber,

Cit;

said member being operable to dotf lint from said saw cylinder and movesaid lint through said inlet along said passage and through said lintoutlet means, a trash outlet formed in the surface of said chamber andleading from said'passage outwardly of said chamber intermediate saidinlet and outlet means, said passage being of curvilinear configurationbetween said inlet means and said trash outlet, said trash outlet beingdefined by a trailing edge and a leading edge portion positionedrespectively along said passage in the direction of movement of the lintand trash therein, said leading edge portion being positioned radiallyinwardly of a plane tangent to a radial line extending from the centerof rotation of said rotatable member to said trailing edge, so thattrash moving through said passage will flow along said trailing edgeportion and through said trash outlet upon the rotatable movement ofsaid member, said member comprising spaced vane-like elements radiallypositioned with respect to the axis of rotation of said member andprojecting into said passage.

5. In a lint cotton opener and cleaner embodying a I housing having aseries of saw cylinders rotatably mounted therein to open and fluffcotton, means for removing cotton from said cylinders to separate trashtherefrom comprising sheeting elements positioned within said housingand defining a chamber adjacent one of said cylinders, said sheetingelements provided with spaced inlet and outIet openings communicatingwith said chamber with the inlet opening being contiguous to at leastone of said cylinders, a trash opening provided in said sheetingelements communicating with said chamber intermediate said inlet andoutlet openings, a rotatable member mounted in said chamber in eccentricrelation to a portion of said sheeting elements to define therewith apassage that progressively decreases in cross sectional area betweensaid inlet opening and said trash opening, said passage being ofcurvilinear configuration to permit said rotatable member to move linttherethrough having trash entrained therewith and to cause the trash tomove through said trash opening due to the centrifugal force andmomentum imparted thereto as the lint and trash are moved through theprogressively decreasing passage by said rotatable member.

6. In a lint cotton opener and cleaner embodying a housing having aseries of saw cylinders rotatably mounted therein to open and flulfcotton, means for removing colton from said cylinders to separate trashtherefrom comprising sheeting elements positioned within said housingand defining a chamber adjacent one of said cylinders, said sheetingelements provided with spaced inlet and outlet openings communicatingwith said chamber with the inlet opening being contiguous to at leastone of said cylinders, a trash opening provided in said sheetingelements communicating with said chamber intermediate said inlet andoutlet openings, a rotatable member mounted in said chamber, a segmentof said sheeting elements having one end pivotally mounted in saidhousing, and the other end adjustable with respect to said rotatablemember to define therewith a passage that progressively decreases incross sectional area from said inlet opening to said trash opening, saidrotatable member being operable to doff lint from a saw cylinder andmove said lint and trash in a fluid medium through said inlet openingalong said passage toward said lint outlet means and to expel the trashthrough said trash opening due to the centrifugal force and momentumimparted thereto as the rotatable member moves the lint and trashthrough the progressively decreasing passage.

7. In a lint cotton opener and cleaner embodying a housing having aseries of saw cylinders rotatably mounted therein to open and fluffcotton, means for removing cotton from said cylinders to separate trashtherefrom comprising sheeting elements positioned within said housingand defining a chamber adjacent one of said cylinders,

said sheeting elements provided with spaced inlet and" 13 outletopenings communicating with said chamber with the inlet opening beingcontiguous to at least one of said cylinders, a trash opening providedin said sheeting elements communicating with said chamber intermediatesaid inlet and outlet openings, a rotatable member mounted in saidchamber in eccentric relation to a portion of said sheeting elements todefine therewith a passage that progressively decreases in crosssectional area between said inlet opening and said trash opening, said;

passage being of curvilinear configuration to permit said rotatablemember to move lint therethrough having trash entrained therewith and tocause the trash to move through said trash opening due to thecentrifugal force and momentum imparted thereto as the lint and trashare moved through the progressively decreasing passage by said rotatablemember, said sheeting elements being provided with spaced air ventopenings to direct streams of air into said passage intermediate saidinlet and outlet openings.

8. 'In a lint cotton opener and cleaner embodying a housing having aseries of saw cylinders rotatably mounted therein to open and fluffcotton, means for removing cotton from said cylinders to separate trashtherefrom comprising sheeting elements positioned within said housingand defining a chamber adjacent one of said cylinders, said sheetingelements provided with spaced inlet and outlet openings communicatingwith said chamber with the inlet opening being contiguous to at leastone of said cylinders, a trash opening provided in said sheetingelements communicating with said chamber intermediate said inlet andoutlet openings, a rotatable member mounted in said chamber in eccentricrelation to a portion of said sheeting elements to define therewith apassage that progressively decreases in cross sectional area betweensaid inlet opening and said trash opening, said passage being ofcurvilinear configuration to permit said rotatable member to move linttherethrough having trash entrained therewith and to cause the trash tomove through said trash opening due to the centrifugal force andmomentum imparted thereto as the lint and trash are moved through theprogressively decreasing passage by said rotatable member, saidrotatable member comprising means for oscillating the lint and trashradially of said member within said passage.

9. in a lint cotton opener and cleaner embodying a housing. having aseries of saw cylinders rotatably mounted therein to open and fluffcotton, means for removing cotton from said cylinders to separate trashtherefrom comprising sheeting elements positioned within said housingand defining a chamber adjacent one of said cylinders, said sheetingelements provided with spaced inlet and outletopenings communicatingwith said chamber with the inlet opening being contiguous to at leastone of said cylinders, a trash opening provided in said sheetingelements communicating with said chamber intermediate said inlet andoutlet openings, a rotatable member mounted in said chamber in eccentricrelation to a portion of said sheeting elements between said inletopening and said trash opening to define therewith a passage thatprogressively decreases in cross sectional area between said inlet andtrash openings, the portion of said sheeting elements defining saidtrash opening being provided with trailing and leading edges with theleading edge portion being positioned radially inwardly of a planetangent to the radial line extending from the center of rotation of saidrotatable member to said trailing edge whereby trash and lint movingthrough said passage upon the movement of said rotatable member willcause the trash to follow said trailing edge and move out through saidtrash opening due to the centrifugal force and momentum imparted theretoby said rotatable member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS504,023 Davis a a1. Aug. 29, 1893 1,375,986 Vardell Apr. 26, 19212,663,912 Wallace Dec. 29, 1953

